This safeguards all personnel, not just those who directly service and maintain machines. Because some people may be more accustomed to certain types of machines or equipment than others, these procedures help establish consistency.Īll employees are informed of upcoming and ongoing maintenance thanks to lockout/tagout procedures. Additionally, this avoids potentially expensive equipment or machinery damage. In order to protect employees and prevent unintentional machine operation, startup, or release during maintenance, lockout tagout procedures are crucial. The Six Steps of a Lockout Tagout Procedure By understanding the steps of lockout tagout and emphasizing the importance of safety in the workplace, we can help create a safer, healthier work environment. In this blog post, we will outline the steps involved in lockout tagout, and explain why it is so important to follow these steps. It is important to understand the steps involved in lockout tagout in order to ensure that proper safety protocols are followed. Lockout tagout is a critical step in preventing accidents and ensuring the safety of workers in any kind of industry. This is achieved by physically locking and tagging out any machine parts that could be hazardous. It is a process of controlling hazardous energy to prevent injury or death to personnel working on or around machinery. The practice of lockout tagout is an important safety measure for the workplace, and one that should not be overlooked. Apply applicable lockout or tagout devices.Isolate the equipment from the hazardous energy source.Notify all affected employees of the activities and equipment involved.For example, electrical safety procedures typically require a machine to be de-energized, after which the machine’s energy source must be locked out in order to prevent it from being re-energized. LOTO procedures form part of a larger collection of necessary safety procedures involving the control of hazardous energy. However, there is also dedicated LOTO software available that can perform the same function. The use of lockout/tagout procedures has traditionally been tracked via the use of a dedicated binder. Tags that are applied to a locked/tagged device must describe why the lock/tag is required (what work is being done), when it was applied, and the person who applied it. Inspect LOTO procedures annually in order to assure that they are performing acceptably.In many cases, a lock/tag may only be removed by the person who applied it. Implement guidelines for who is allowed to place and remove locks/tags.This includes tracking who placed the lock/tag as well as who removed it. Provide a means of tracking every instance of a lock/tag being applied to, or removed from, a device.Ensure that new and modified equipment can be locked out.The use of tags is only acceptable if the tagout procedures are strict enough that they provide equal protection to what a lockout would provide. Make use of locks to prevent access to (or activation of) energized equipment.Develop a single, standardized LOTO program that all employees are trained to follow.LOTO procedures must adhere to the following basic rules: In the 2019–2020 fiscal year, LOTO-related fines were the sixth-most frequent fine issued by OSHA, and their presence in OSHA’s top-10 most-cited safety violations is an annual occurrence. In addition to legally prescribing the use of LOTO procedures, OSHA also places heavy emphasis on the enforcement of those procedures. However, OSHA also maintains other LOTO standards for situations that are not covered by 1910.147. 147 - Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout). In the United States, the general industry standard for the use of LOTO procedures is. Accidents which can be prevented by LOTO procedures include:īecause of their critical safety importance, the use of LOTO procedures is legally required in every jurisdiction that has an advanced occupational health and safety program. The use of lockout/tagout procedures is considered a critical aspect of workplace safety in any occupational setting in which workers come into direct contact with machinery or workplace equipment. The Importance of Lockout/Tagout Procedures Tags, on the other hand, are used as a form of hazard communication by warning against activating or otherwise using a given piece of equipment. The purpose of locks is to completely prevent workers from activating the equipment, and potentially from accessing certain portions of the equipment. These procedures usually include the use of both locks and tags however, if it is not possible to apply a lock to a system, then tags may be used exclusively. LOTO procedures must be put in place at the workplace level - that is, all employees must be trained to use the exact same set of LOTO procedures. Safeopedia Explains Lockout Tagout (LOTO)
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